Kaunas-Vilnius Offensive

The Kaunas-Vilnius Offensive occurred in June 1941 during Operation Barbarossa in World War II. The Germans succeeded in breaking out of Kaunas, destroying the Soviet divisions between Kaunas and Vilnius, capturing Vilnius, and pushing the front line to the Neris and Zeimena Rivers.

Background
On 22 June 1941, the first day of Operation Barbarossa, the German Army Group North made stellar progress into southern Lithuania, capturing the key city of Kaunas and driving Soviet forces back from the border. However, supply shortages led to the Germans being forced to halt in the city of Kaunas, which still bordered concentrations of Red Army troops. The commander of Army Group North, Wilhelm von Leeb, planned a breakthrough towards the next strategic objective, Vilnius, in which Army Group North would destroy the Soviet divisions in between Kaunas and Vilnius and capture the next major city.

Offensive
The offensive began when the German 253rd Infantry Division drove the Soviet 188th Rifle Division from its positions to the south of Kaunas, doing so with no losses. Meanwhile, II Armeekorps, which had moved into the town of Kaisiadoris to the southeast of Kaunas, attacked east and routed the Soviet 23rd Rifle Division. The Germans then closed their grip around Vilnius, with the XXXIX Panzer Corps attacking the 8th AT Artillery Brigade to the south of Vilnius. The panzers made short work of the Soviet brigade, which was routed. The 7th Panzer, 20th Panzer, and 14th Mechanized divisions proceeded to enter the city of Vilnius itself, securing the Germans' main objective in the offensive. The Germans proceeded to push east from Vilnius, destroying the Soviet 17th Rifle Division and clearing the Vilnius outskirts of Soviet presence. The Germans then advanced to the northeast of Vilnius, aiming to capture the Soviet stronghold of Svecioneliai. The XXXIX Panzer Corps destroyed the Soviet 33rd Rifle Division and took the town, securing the northern flank of Army Group North. With Vilnius and its northern flank secure, it was time to break through to the south. In a tank battle to the south of Shumsk, the 19th Panzer Division destroyed the Soviet 27th Tank Division, and the German panzers moved down the Shumsk-Molodechno Railroad to secure the railroad stop at Smorgon, a task completed without resistance. The Germans now had the Neris River as their front line, although the XXXIX Panzer Corps pushed past the Zeimena River and halted just short of Postavy.